Organisation: Tate
Principal investigator: Louise Lawson
Project overview
The Tate is a family of four art galleries across the UK, known as the Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate St Ives, and Tate Liverpool. The Tate has a rich physical collection that includes reference materials such as pigments, paints, media, artists’ paint swatches and significant quantities of cross-sections and samples removed from works in the Tate’s collection. Additionally, the Tate holds almost 40 years of data based on the imaging and scientific analysis of its collection, which is currently unorganised, not easily searchable, or shareable.
Project purpose
The project aims to consolidate and establish the Tate’s physical and digital heritage science data into a single accessible archive called the Tate Conservation and Heritage Science Archive (CHSA). This open-source tool will enable secure retrieval, visualisation, comparison, and sharing of heritage science and project data. The CHSA will be made available for the wider heritage and global communities. This will increase access, support research and conservation practice.
Project impacts
The project will enhance and facilitate increased insights into the existing heritage science and technical information held on the UK’s collection of British, modern and contemporary art. By extending access to the wider community, the project will lead to the development of impactful research. This increased access will foster new research ideas and collaborations, promoting a new approach to heritage science research that will contribute to the advancement of heritage science within the UK.
